Destiny
by Michelle Gilman
Summary: When strange attacks keep happening to Asuna, Takahata hires a mage bodyguard....but Asuna never expected it to be a mage her age. What happens when he can't help but fall for the girl he's guarding? NegixAsuna
1. The Request

**A/N: **This is obviously going to be an Asuna x Negi story. In this story they are all the same ages as in the manga, but **Kotaro and Negi will be the age of 15**. He's the only exception however, since I want to keep this story pretty close to the original storyline.

I hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Negima or its characters…no matter how much I want to….

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"Go Asuna!" A girl with long dark brown hair cheered. She clapped wildly at the redheaded girl who was on stage, singing like a professional to the karaoke music in the background.

As Asuna sang the song, a pair of dark chocolate (almost black) eyes watched her intently along with a pair of ice blue eyes from the boy at his side. "Is she the one?" the dark eyed boy asked.

The ice blue eyes moved up and down as the other blonde haired boy nodded his head. "That's her, Asuna Kagurazaka. She's not exactly one to go quietly either," he warned, not taking his eyes off of her, "You'll need to get close to her and make sure that she trusts you completely before we make our move. We'll be monitoring you closely, so don't try any bone headed moves alright?"

Eyelids covered the dark chocolate color of his eyes as the he sighed. "You got it. Kotaro reporting for duty," he replied.

The other boy's ice blue eyes narrowed and a smirk crossed his face. "Then get to it," he ordered before disappearing into the shadows.

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"Encore! Encore!" Konoka chanted loudly with Setsuna by her side, laughing a little at her best friend's actions.

Asuna groaned at the chanting as another classmate of hers, Haruna, cheered loudly with her. Haruna's best friends, Nodoka and Yue, were sitting behind her and trying to get her to quiet down.

"Another song?" she complained, as a few of the strangers in the karaoke joint began cheering as well, "But I've already done two!"

"Another one!" Konoka shouted, "Please Asuna?"

"Setsuna, help me out!" she begged, turning to the black haired girl who was quietly giggling at Konoka's persistence.

"Sorry Kagurazaka-san, but I have to agree. You're a talented singer," she apologized, making Asuna sigh in defeat.

Asuna looked out at the audience that had quieted down for her response, and smiled. "Well then if that's what you people want, then my next song will blow you away!" she exclaimed, causing the whole joint to erupt in cheers.

Just as she was about to start the song, she felt like someone was staring at her. She knew almost the whole restaurant's gaze was on her since she was singing the next song, but this stare was different. It made a shiver go up her spine. She looked around, trying to find the culprit and stopped on a pair of dark chocolate brown eyes.

The boy winked at her, causing her to blush. "Uh…um…" she stuttered into the microphone as the words on the screen began to highlight and she missed her cue.

"Asuna?" Konoka asked worriedly.

"Kagurazaka-san, is everything alright?" Setsuna asked suspiciously.

Asuna looked back at them with her eyes widened slightly before she simply smiled at them. "Y-yeah, everything's fine," she lied, giving a fake laugh. She started the song over, glancing nervously over at the pair of eyes that were still watching her.

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"That was so much fun!" Haruna shouted, stretching her arms up and yawning, "But now I'm sleepy…"

"Glad you liked it Haruna!" Asuna exclaimed, winking at her, "It was fun for me too!"

"It had a good time," Yue added in her usual monotone voice.

"M-me too," Nodoka chimed in quietly, smiling at Asuna and her friends. "It was nice of you guys to invite us to come along."

Asuna's smile widened a little. "Anytime Bookstore! We'll let you know next time we go alright? You guys are a lot of fun yourselves. But next time we go, you should sing too Nodoka!"

Nodoka shook her head vigorously at the suggestion. "Oh no! Not me, I'm terrible at singing! You guys would all just be bored if I got up there and sang!" she defended, rambling on.

Asuna put an arm around Nodoka's neck comfortingly. "Of course we wouldn't be bored! I've heard you sing before and you're awesome! Just have some confidence," she advised.

Nodoka smiled a little. "A-alright…maybe next time I'll…try and sing," she agreed.

"Now that's the Nodoka we all know and lov-" Asuna was cut off from whatever she was going to say when the pile of leaves she'd been walking through suddenly gave way under her feet and she let go of her playful chokehold on Nodoka.

"Asuna!" Nodoka shouted, grabbing her hand before it was out of her reach. Nodoka grunted in effort at trying to lift Asuna out of the gaping hole the leaves had been covering, but she wasn't all that strong, making it hard for her to hold on.

Setsuna immediately rushed forward and pulled Nodoka back, pulling Asuna out as well. "Are you two alright?" she asked seriously, looking the two over a little.

They both nodded. "We're fine," Asuna answered, seeming unfazed by the whole event, "Not like it hasn't happened before." Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd said and she covered her mouth. "I-I mean…it's not like I've never seen a pile of leaves like this before!" she tried to cover.

"Asuna, has this kind of thing happened more than once?" Konoka asked with wide eyes.

Asuna mentally cursed herself. She'd made a vow not to get anyone else involved. She didn't want to go around complaining or anything and knew it was all probably just some prank that Ayaka had cooked up or something. But even Ayaka wasn't _that _bad. She knew something was up, but until she figured it out, she didn't want anyone else involved. "Well…uh…kinda," she mumbled, hoping they wouldn't hear.

Unfortunately for her, they all heard and gasped in shock. "Asuna! How come you didn't tell us?" Nodoka asked louder than usual.

"I don't want you guys to worry. I'll be fine. I'm tough remember? I can handle it," she reassured them, trying to ignore the disbelieving looks on their faces, "Alright fine, if it makes you feel better….I'll talk to Takahata-sensei tomorrow."

They seemed to brighten up a little at that. "Ok Asuna. I'll go with you to make sure that you actually do it," Konoka replied, smiling at her friend.

Asuna groaned, knowing that now there was no backing out of it. She turned around and began walking back to the dorms, her friends behind her, and talking about how Takahata had looked so cool in the suit he was wearing that morning.

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"I'm so proud of you Negi-kun!" his cousin rushed up to him, hugging him tightly. Her long blonde hair flowed through the wind as she did so, and a huge smile was placed on her bright features.

"Nekane-one-chan?" he asked with surprise. "I thought you couldn't come because of your studies…"

"I talked with the Dean of the school and he let me off a little early so I could come see you graduate," she told him, giving a small wink. "Are you going to open the letter?" she asked, pointing at the ivory colored envelope that was resting in his hands.

Negi nodded, looking at the letter with intensity. '_This letter will tell me the next step I have to becoming a Magister Magi. After the job on the inside of this letter is completed, I'll be able to become a Magister Magi or at least train for it,_' he thought as his fingers gingerly lifted the flap of the envelope and took out the small card inside. "Bodyguard," he read with surprise.

Nekane had a surprised expression on her face as she gasped at the single word written on the paper inside. "Negi, you might end up being the bodyguard or someone really important or famous! Think about it, this could be your chance to become famous yourself!" she exclaimed.

"I wouldn't count on it," a younger voice scoffed. "You'll probably end up being a bodyguard for some nobody who treats you like dirt."

"Anya! Be nice!" Nekane hissed at her, before adding in a gentle tone to her cousin. "Don't listen to Anya, Negi, she's just jealous."

"Am NOT!" Anya shouted at the two. "I can hear you, you know!"

"It's alright Nekane-one-chan. Whoever I end up guarding, I know will be a good person and that no matter what, I won't give up! I promise that I'll do my best to become a Magister Magi," he vowed, smiling up at his sister.

She looked shocked as she stared back at him, even Anya looked surprised, before she broke into a smile. "Negi, you're definitely the most grown up fifteen-year-old I've ever met," she praised him.

His smile grew at the praise as he gave her a small hug. "I'm going to start packing now!" he called over his shoulder as he ran back to pack up this things.

"You do know that romance usually happens with these kinds of things right?" Anya asked Nekane, raising an eyebrow.

Nekane smiled warmly at Negi's retreating form. "I know Anya. Maybe what Negi needs is someone to make him smile more than us," she replied. "I know whatever happens; he'll make the right choice."

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"Takahata-sensei, you can't be serious!" Asuna shouted, glaring sharply at him.

"Asuna-kun, these attacks aren't normal. Normal teenage girls don't get attacked twice a day, every day. I think this is the best way to go," he reasoned.

"No way! There is absolutely positively no way that I am going to have a bodyguard. You know very well that I can take care of myself! I've been doing it for years!" she continued to shout at him, making Konoka wince every now and then.

"If you have a bodyguard, you can just depend on him to watch out for you while you focus on your studies and making friends, like a normal teen," he argued, wondering why she was so against it.

'_But that's what you do,_' she wanted to say. She wanted _him_ to save her, not some snot-nosed bodyguard. "Wait a sec…did you just say, 'depend on _him_'?" she fumed, her eyes widening, "Now there is no way in hell I'd let a guy stay with me!"

"It could be a girl…" he said, shrugging, "But it would be better for you to be more exposed to a guy instead. The only guy you've ever been around is me."

"And I want it to stay that way!" she shouted at him, glaring harshly before she realized what she'd said. As soon as she said it, she covered her mouth and sat back down on the chair, looking out with window with a blush all over her face.

Konoka was looking back and forth at both of them and feeling like a third-wheel. She decided it would be best to go and gave a polite bow. "I forgot I was meeting Setsuna," she lied, quickly exiting the room.

"Asuna-kun, I know that you think of me as a father figure and don't want to think of another person in the picture, but you know that one day you're going to meet someone and fall in love, and you need to let yourself not be afraid of men your age," he sighed, looking at her with concern.

She turned her head sharply to face him again. "Afraid?" she asked, "You think I'm afraid? It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I already have someone that I love!"

He chuckled a little before asking her, "Oh really? And who might that lucky guy be?"

"You," she mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked, "I didn't quite hear it."

"N-nothing alright?" she yelled at him, turning back to the window. "Just drop it!"

He just started to chuckle again as he lit a cigarette. "Alright Asuna-kun, you can tell me when you're ready," he said with a laugh.

Her face turned even redder (it that was possible) and she gave a 'humph'.

"I'm going to call around and see who I can get to guard you," he announced, and before she could rant about how stupid a bodyguard was, he added, "I have a feeling this might be about your magic."

Her eyes widened. "M-my magic?" she asked.

"Ever since you were little, you've had the power to reflect any magic spells that come your way, don't you remember?" he asked.

She nodded, not saying anything. '_If you knew the truth, you wouldn't want me anymore…you'd hate me. If you knew what other _power_ I have…you would never look at me the same way again…_' she thought.

"Alright, well, you have class now, so run along. I'll get this mess sorted out alright?" he asked cheerfully.

She was about to protest when the school bell ran loudly, forcing her to leave the office.

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"Negi-kun! The telephone's for you!" he heard Nekane shout from another room.

He stopped in mid-spell and set his wand down. "Coming one-chan!" he called back, rushing to the room where she was holding the phone out to him. As soon as his ear was up to the small speaker, he asked, "Hello?"

"Negi Springfield, is that you?" the voice on the other end asked. The voice was deep and made the man sound in his thirties.

"Yes, this is him, may I ask who's calling?" he asked politely, wondering who would possibly call him.

"Wonderful! My name is Takamichi, Takahata. I'm calling about your add in _Mage Weekly_ where you were said you had an opening as a bodyguard. I was wondering if the position was still open," he asked.

Negi's eyes lit up and he gripped the phone with two hands. "Yes! Yes, of course it's still open!" he exclaimed into the phone. "Do you mean to say that you, the famous Death Specs Takahata, needs a bodyguard?" Nekane had been right, he _was_ going to guard a famous person…that would show Anya!

"Me? Oh heavens no. A girl named Asuna needs one. She's like a daughter to me," he corrected.

Negi couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed. '_So Anya was right…_' he thought. "Alright, that's fine. How long will I need to be on the job?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. You see, she's been running into a lot of traps lately. I know that Asuna has the power to deflect any magic spells, but I don't know what would be causing these attacks on her," he sighed, "So I suggested hiring a bodyguard."

"What kind of attacks?" he asked, grabbing a pen and paper and scribbling the name 'Asuna' on the top with a couple of notes about the job underneath.

"She wouldn't tell me. She keeps to herself and doesn't let hardly anyone break her tough exterior," he remarked.

"Alright," he answered simply, putting a question mark down by 'types of attack'. "When would you like me to start?"

"Today if you can. I already bought a plane ticket to Japan for you. Your flight leaves in about seven hours," he announced. Negi was sure he was smirking on the other end of the phone and mentally groaned.

"Alright Takahata-sama, I'll see you when I get to Japan," he replied, hanging up the phone after a quick good-bye.

"Who was that Aniki?" a snow white ermine asked.

Negi jumped a little at the new voice. "Oh, Chamo-kun! You scared me for a minute!" he admitted. "That was Takahata-sama."

"You mean _the _Takahata? Death Specs Takahata?" he asked in shock, his jaw dropping a little. "Aniki, that's some serious stuff! You're gonna be famous!"

"But I'm not protecting Takahata," Negi interrupted.

"Come again?" Chamo asked, anger hinting in his voice.

"I'll be protecting Asuna," he answered, a small smile on his face. '_That's a pretty name,_' he thought to himself, mentally chuckling.

"Who the bloody hell is Asuna?" the ermine growled.

Negi looked at Chamo in surprise, not expecting him to have that kind of reaction to the news. "She's a girl who's like a daughter to him," he answered, "Or at least that's what he said…"

Chamo looked thoughtfully at the ground for a minute, before turning back to Negi with a devilish smirk. "If you can get Asuna to love you, you could marry up and become notorious as Death Spec's daughter!" he plotted.

Negi's face went beet red at the suggestion. "C-Chamo-kun! How could you even suggest that?" he asked, "But I do think she has a pretty name…"

"Aniki, don't you know that usually when wizards reach this stage that they end up finding their first partner, and usually their _permanent_ partner?" he asked, trying to hide the smirk from his tiny ermine face.

"C-Chamo-kun!" he stuttered, his face getting even redder.

Nekane walked in the room carrying some cookies and a glass of milk on a TV tray and saw Chamo on the table and Negi standing in front of him with a face as red as a cherry. "Eh? What did I miss?" she asked.

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**A/N:** Hope you guys all liked this chapter! I'm looking for a beta reader since my grammar is really bad and just things like that….so if you're interested, please let me know!

Please review!

Micki G


	2. Stupid mage!

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I got this written as soon as I could! I hope you enjoy it. Please tell me how it was in a review and be sure to read the author notes (A/N) at the end. I'm looking for a beta reader.

Thanks and Enjoy!

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The bells in her hair jingled melodiously as she walked through the town for some early morning shopping. After her paper route she'd found that this place was close to where her route had ended anyways.

As she crossed the street, a loud horn blared at her and she turned to find a semi-truck barreling towards her. Her eyes widened and she let out a scream, squeezing her eyes shut. She was about to drop her bag when she felt something grab her and she clutched it tightly again.

She opened her eyes a crack, only to open them wide with shock as she saw a boy her age with a layer of maroon colored hair over a chocolate brown color. His soft hazel eyes gazed ahead as the sunlight appeared behind him, giving him an almost heavenly light. She unconsciously blushed at the sight of him.

He looked down at her with a soft smile and cheerful glint in his eyes. "Are you quite alright miss?" he asked politely.

"I…I…uh…y-yes," she finally managed to stammer out. Man, was she making a fool of herself of what?

He chuckled lightly at her reply. "Charming, aren't I?" he teased, smirking at her.

She quickly recovered with a sharp glare. "No, why would I be interested in some guy I just met?" she asked bluntly.

He laughed nervously, but she could tell she'd probably hurt his ego. Still, she didn't back down, turning her head away to cover the darker blush before her eyes went wide with fright. "Uh…How high up are we?" she asked, looking down at the buildings that looked like building blocks from here.

"1,000 feet in the air," he replied merrily with a smile.

She screamed, causing the stick he was flying on to waver a little in flight. "G-g-get me DOWN!" she shouted. She felt abnormally warm and realized that his hand was wrapped around her waist. Her blush only got darker, if that was even possible, and she hugged him tightly, not wanting to fall.

Unknown to her, the young mage blushed almost as red as her. '_She really is beautiful,_' he couldn't help but think.

As soon as they were on the building, Asuna breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at him and their eyes met. Their faces were only inches away and he smiled at her. Immediately, her fist flew to his jaw, knocking him to the ground as he sat up.

"W-what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his sore cheek as he stared at her in confusion and shock.

"For not letting go of my waist," she growled, turning around. "See you later stupid." With that she walked through a door labeled 'Mahora dorms'.

After she was gone, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a snowy white ermine. "Chamo-kun, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

The little ermine shook his head before giving a thumbs up. "I'm fine Aniki!" he exclaimed, then looked at the door the girl had walked through. "I have a strange feeling that that's Asuna…"

"Why do you say that?" Negi asked, tilting his head a little.

"Didn't Death Specs say she had bells in her hair?" he asked, remembering the jingling noise he kept hearing from inside Negi's pocket.

Negi nodded. "You're right," he agreed, looking at the door. '_Something tells me this is going to be a painful job,_' the thought, rubbing his sore cheek again.

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Asuna stretched her arms out wide and yawned. School seemed to going by at a snail's pace! She had to admit that she was kind of looking forward to meeting her bodyguard. Maybe he'd be some extremely hot thirty year old guy. That made her blush a little and she shook her head to clear it from the image of a cute thirty-year-old giving her a crinkly smile. '_God, I'm turning into Ayaka…_' she thought with a grimace.

As she continued walking, she heard squealing and immediately ran towards the source. Someone was in danger! By the sound of it, a lot of girls were! She knitted her eyebrows together with a determined face on and ran straight in the direction of the screams.

What she saw made her stop in her tracks and drop her fists. "Eh? What's this?" she asked.

A group of girls were gathered around someone. She couldn't tell who it was since practically her whole class was there. Wading through all of the teens, she saw a young boy. Before she could get a good look at him though, she was shoved to the back once more.

"Geez, there's no need to be _that_ obsessed with some stupid boy," she whispered to herself, rubbing her sore butt. She looked back at the crowd with a sigh, wondering what the boy looked like. She tried to think of what he looked like, but all she remembered was the blurred image of him before all she had seen were girls. It had to be a crime to be that crazy for some stupid boy.

"Asuna-kun?" a deeper voice asked.

She turned around to see Takahata sensei standing behind her with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth. "T-Takahata-sensei!" she stammered, stumbling when she got up too quickly.

This caused the older man to chuckle. "Seems like those girls gave you a run for your money huh?" he asked with amusement, looking to the large crowd of girls only a few feet away.

Asuna grumbled a little as she folded her arms over her chest and let out a 'humph'. "Yeah, pretty much. I don't see what's so great about a stupid boy anyways!" she exclaimed, turning her head sharply away and sticking her nose in the air.

Takahata chuckled again. "Asuna-kun, I think that you'll find you and that 'stupid boy' are going to be getting to know each other more than you think," he remarked, giving her a crinkly smile that made her force down a tiny blush.

"W-what are you talking about?" she stuttered, trying her best to glare at him defiantly.

"That boy over there is named Negi Springfield. He'll be attending class 3-A at Mahora and will be your new bodyguard," Takahata announced.

Asuna's eyes widened as she turned back to the group of girls. "But…that guy looked way too young to be a skilled bodyguard!" she mumbled, her usual loud reactions quieted from shock.

"He graduated top of his class at the Magic Academy. He may be only 15 years old, but he's Nagi's son, which tells you right there that he's destined for greatness," Takahata explained, walking to stand beside Asuna, which she of course noticed and focused on the ground instead.

However, the name stuck her as familiar. "Nagi?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked back up at him. "Who's he?"

She barely heard the sigh Takahata let out. "So I see you still haven't remembered a lot of your past then, have you?" he asked her quietly, almost a whisper. His eyes were full of concern and worry as he looked down at her.

"Huh?" she asked, not quite hearing all of what he'd said.

"Nothing Asuna-kun," he replied cheerfully, smiling down at her brightly with the cigarette clenched loosely between his teeth.

She smiled back up at him, a small blush covering her cheeks as she did so. That's when something he'd said caused the smile to disappear and be replaced with a frown as her eyes widened. "Did you say that this 'Negi Springfield' guy was going to be in class 3-A?" she shouted at him.

"Yep," he answered simply, causing all of the girls to quickly migrate over to the two, which, to Asuna's dismay, ruined the moment between them.

The girls all began to bombard Takahata with questions and Asuna felt herself getting pushed away again. She only had a few moments to hear a single question they yelled at him.

"But how can Negi be here if he's a boy?"

"Good question. He'll be here because he's going to be Asuna-kun's new bodyguard and will need to be around 24/7 to protect her in case she's attacked," he answered.

'_Did he really have to announce it to everyone?_' she wondered, sighing in defeat when she realized there was no way she was going to be able to get back to Takahata. She turned around and saw that the boy was now standing alone with a relieved look on his face a few feet away.

He was young. He only looked around fifteen or so with a nice suit and a large staff strapped to his back. A snowy white ermine sat on his shoulder and appeared to be almost smirking at the girl as she stared at him.

Quickly realizing she was in fact staring, she looked away hurriedly. '_How embarrassing! To be caught staring at someone like _him' she thought.

She began to walk in the direction of the dorms, when a husky voice caught her attention. "Asuna?"

She immediately whirled around to find that it had been the fifteen year old guy. What was his name again? Negi? She forgot what Takahata had called him. Casting a glance at the girls who were still gathered around Takahata or had left, she realized that no one had really noticed her too much yet. She cautiously walked over to him, her eyes guarded with a glare on her face. "Who the hell are you?" she snapped at him, sticking her face only inches from his with a sharp glare in her eyes and her eyebrows knitted together in defiance. '_There's no way he can be the guy from this morning…can there?_' she thought.

The young man seemed really taken aback as he took a step back and looked at her nervously. "Ne-Negi Spr-Springfield," he stuttered in reply. The little ermine almost looked as if he was looking her up and down and she felt extremely self conscious all of the sudden.

"So, you are the guy who's supposed to be guarding me then…" she said more to herself then to Negi. She took a step back and looked him up and down again. "Too bad it couldn't be someone cute…" she sighed.

"I beg your pardon you rude brute?" she heard a voice ask.

The glare on her face grew harsher and she grabbed Negi by the collar, lifting him a few inches off the ground, causing him to start sputtering and flailing around. "What did you say you stupid boy?" she growled at him through gritted teeth.

"N-no! P-please don't hurt me Asuna!"

"Add an honorific or I'll make you fly out of here without the need of a plane!"

He only began flailing around even more.

"I-I'm sorry Asuna-san!" he apologized, "But that wasn't me who called you that!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Oh…right. And there's an invisible monkey who can speak Japanese that just said that to me…" she replied sarcastically, gripping his shirt collar tight once again. "I'm not stupid you little twit!"

"But you have to believe me!" he protested. "The ermine on my shoulder, Chamo-kun, said it!" he moved his hands to her hand, trying to pry her hand away from his shirt, but it was to no avail.

"Shut up you punk! I'm not going to believe that your stupid ermine said that rude comment!" she shouted at the top of her lungs in anger. This boy was _really_ starting to make her mad.

At that moment, the group of girls all turned to face them, hearing Asuna's shout. "Hey look! Asuna-san is talking to Negi alone," a girl with pink hair done in two half pigtails squealed. Her name was Makie, and right now, Asuna wanted to kill her.

"No, I'm not trying to spend time alone with him! He called me a rude brute!" she protested. She glared sharply at Negi out of the corner of her eye, making him let out a squeak of fear.

"Asuna, there's no reason to be embarrassed about it! We all think he's cute too!" Konoka exclaimed, smiling at her friend.

Asuna felt her jaw drop and she dropped Negi to the ground, making him land on his butt and yelp with pain as he dropped with a thud. She completely ignored him as she continued to gape at the other girls. "You think I like this stupid boy? No way! He's a weakling and not to mention that scrawny guys like him just don't do it for me," she continued to argue.

She didn't see the slightly hurt look in Negi's eyes as she said that. He looked at his feet as he continued to sit in silence, the snow white ermine in his shoulder patting his neck softly in comfort from where he sat perched on Negi's shoulder.

Konoka looked as if she was about to say something before a high-class laugh interrupted. "That's only because you're into thirty year old men who would have to be pedophiles to like you! There's no way you could like someone as cute as him!" she sneered, a smirk crossing her face to match the hateful glare in her emerald green eyes.

Asuna began to shake with anger as she growled at the blonde haired girl. "Ayaka…" she hissed, glaring at her harder than she had at Negi, "Takahata is not a pedophile!" She had seen him leave about ten minutes ago and was thankful he wasn't here to hear all of this.

"If a thirty year old man likes a seven year old girl, that makes him a pedophile," she calmly stated, rolling her eyes at the fuming redhead, "Besides, Negi isn't a weakling. If he was a weakling, he wouldn't be your bodyguard."

Asuna had heard enough of Ayaka's stupid remarks and instead of coming back with something else, lunged at the smug girl, grabbing onto her long blonde hair and pulling it hard.

Ayaka let out a screech before grabbing one of Asuna's pigtails and pulling it with equal force. "You stupid violent pedophile-lover!" she shouted at Asuna, kicking Asuna's leg.

Asuna aimed a kick at Ayaka's stomach. "He is NOT a pedophile!" she yelled back, yanking harder on her opponent's hair.

The girls around the two were all chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as the two continued to fight each other in the middle of the huge mob of girls.

Finally, Negi had seen enough and leapt to his feet. He pushed his way through the crowd of girls until he reached the middle where Ayaka and Asuna were fighting each other. He snaked his arms around Asuna's waist from behind and pulled her apart from Ayaka, while an older looking girl with long brown hair that was twisted in the front grabbed Ayaka by the shoulders and pulled her away from Asuna. The two fighting girls squirmed around, trying to get free and go back at it, when Asuna realized that Negi had his arms around her waist.

She immediately stopped flailing and whirled around, getting her fist ready to punch him. She didn't realize how close they had been until she turned around and her lips were caught by his. Her face went pale before the blood rushed to her cheeks, making them turn bright red very quickly. She shoved him back, breaking their kiss and seeing his blush as well.

"Why you…you…PERVERT!" she screamed, bringing her fist up to his chin and knocking him high into the sky with one swift motion.

The girls watched as Negi came crashing back down, a little blood coming from his nose before he stood up and quickly wiped it away.

"Quite an impressive punch Asuna!" he complimented, beaming at her as her cheeks flushed again, this time a little darker.

"Stupid boy!" she yelled with a glare before running out of the circle. She didn't even notice as a female laugh chuckled lightly.

"Well Negi-kun, I see you've met Asuna," she remarked, covering her mouth gingerly with her hand to hide her laugh. Asuna swore under her breath that a teacher had shown up. She was going to give Negi something he could compliment even more if she hadn't shown up.

Negi nodded nervously, and Asuna noticed him looking at her eyes instead of her 'assets' and a glimmer of respect flared in her mind at the boy. She'd even caught Takahata…staring there a few times to her dismay.

"Asuna-san," she called, turning to Asuna, who only raised her eyebrows as if to say 'Yeah?', "Would you and Negi please come with me to see the dean? You too Konoka."

Asuna only sighed, knowing she could very well defy a teacher, while Konoka bounced over with a cheery smile on her face. "Sure thing Miss Shizuna!" her best friend chirped.

The girls slowly departed for the group, a couple lingering for a few minutes before also walking in the direction of their dorms. She saw Nodoka turn and give him a last look before catching up with Haruna and Yue. Asuna felt her eyebrows come together in a scowl as she was out of sight and a twinge of anger. However, the feeling went as quickly as it came when she caught herself. '_What the…why was I mad when Nodoka only turned and looked at him?_' she thought, still staring at where Nodoka had disappeared.

"Asuna-san," a voice cut into her thoughts, "Are you alright?"

She turned with surprise to see Negi looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine Negi-bozu," she snapped, turning and walking ahead of the others. '_I'm just still embarrassed from the kiss,_' she reasoned with herself, closing her eyes as she walked.

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**A/N:** So, how was this chapter? Good? Bad? Just plain ugly? Tell me in a review! I tried to make sure Asuna seemed a lot more hardcore in this chapter. I felt like I made her a little too gentle seeming and trusting in the first chapter and the beginning of this one. Maybe I'm just being paranoid though. Anyways...I'm glad to see that this story has turned out pretty good in terms of readers. I'm hoping to get many more though.

Thanks to all of you.

I'm also still looking for a beta reader. It's not too tough. All that happens is I send the chapter to your email when I finish writing it, you read it, edit it, and send it back. I have had another beta reader, but sadly, she's not familiar with Negima, so I was hoping to get a different one for this story. **If you are interested, please tell me in a review.**

As always, please review.

Micki G

P.S. If you have any questions, send them in a review and please don't make it anonymous so that I can reply back. I had one other person do that, and I am not trying in anyway to offend that person, but I was sad that I couldn't answer their questions…

Thanks!


	3. ACHOO!

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Long time no see! Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out. I got unmotivated for a while…and then got some inspiration through reviews.

**Tip to faster updates:** Reviews are the best way to get me to update faster. So if you like what your seeing, or want to point something out….then review.

Thanks to AznLee5G and Faded Writer for becoming my beta readers! This will be their first chapter, so this chapter should be a lot better in terms of grammar and structure and things like that. Thanks again you two:)

Enjoy!

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Destiny – Chapter 3

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"WHAT?" Asuna screamed. She stood up so fast that the chair she had been sitting in scooted back a bit. "Headmaster, there is no way that this twerp could be coming to my classes with me!" She forcefully slammed her hands down on his desk, causing some of the papers to jump a little and Negi to flinch.

"Asuna-san, please try and refrain from using a lot of violence in my office," he instructed calmly, unfazed by her outrageous behavior. He cleared his throat and set his neatly laced fingers gently on top of his large wooden desk before continuing, "Negi may be the same age as you, but he's certainly not a twerp. He graduated top of his class at the Magic Academy. There is always danger around Asuna-san, especially with the Kansai Magic Association lurking around. Takahata and I have a feeling that it will not stop, whether Negi is here or not, and that he'll be able to protect you. They can strike at any time, any place, and are known not to play fairly."

"But Headmaster…he's a boy!" she complained, throwing her arms up in emphasis.

Negi slouched down a little in his chair, and Konoka gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She could really hate him that much could she?

"I'm well aware of that Asuna-san," he responded, keeping his collective demeanor, "But Takahata did an…exceptional job of letting the students know why he was here."

She heard Shizuna giggle a little from her post at the door.

Asuna racked her brain for another excuse, but she couldn't find any. There was just simply no way out of this. Sighing in defeat, she sat back down in her chair. She folded her arms over her chest with a pout as she silently fumed about her new classmate.

"Right, now that this is all settled, we'll need somewhere for you to live," the headmaster mumbled, more to himself than the other people in the room.

"Why not live with your granddaughter?" Shizuna suggested quietly.

The headmaster nodded slowly, taking in the suggestion. "That might work…" he contemplated.

Asuna immediately jumped up from her seat again with her hands on her hips and a look somewhere between angry and annoyed on her face. "But I share the dorm with Konoka!" she shouted.

"That would make it even better," he muttered to himself.

Asuna growled in frustration. "But a boy can't stay in a girls' dorm! It's inappropriate!" she yelled, throwing her arms up once again. "It's insane!"

"That's true…but we have no empty dorms. Not to mention the fact that Konoka is my granddaughter, so that I'll know I can trust her to deal with him. And you, Asuna-san, are wise enough to know not to change in front of him or do anything you shouldn't," he stated, rubbing his chin in thought.

This was getting no where.

"Headmaster!" she whined, attempting to do anything to get out of this situation.

"It'll make it easier for Negi-kun to guard you," Konoka pointed out with a cheerful smile.

Negi stared at nothing in particular as he nodded slowly. "I think that would be alright," he agreed.

"Konoka! Negi-bozu! You guys aren't helping!" she protested.

"Then it's set, as of today, Negi Springfield will be living in your girls' dorm until we can find a place for him to be on his own," the headmaster arranged.

Asuna grumbled as she fell back into her chair, mumbling about how stupid mages should stay in their own stupid rooms.

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Asuna kept up her attitude as she, Negi, and Konoka all reached their dorm. She couldn't believe the dean had let him stay there! How could they? He was a scrawny little mage who had no business here except to guard her. She knew there was a reason she'd been against it from the beginning.

"A-Asuna," the mage stuttered. He seemed timid still around her.

She uttered a 'humph' his way and ignored him. He was definitely not one of her favorite people right now.

Konoka reached past them and unlocked the door before opening it and stepping inside.

Asuna followed in quickly, knocking Negi out of the way to get in before him. Without caring that he was there, she went straight to a desk on one side of the room and dumped her school books out of her backpack. She grabbed a pencil and started to work on her homework.

"I'm sorry about Asuna-san," she overheard Konoka say. She subconsciously turned her focus to their conversation, although her eyes were on her homework.

"It's quite alright Konoka-san. I bet that after she warms up to me a little, she'll be fine," Negi responded, "Besides, she's going to have to. I'll have to be with her at all times."

'_Darn. I forgot about that._' She silently thought, a grimace spreading across her face.

"Asuna-san, are you ok?" she heard Konoka ask her.

She turned around to face her friend and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You were frowning at your homework. Is it hard?" she asked with worry.

Asuna shook her head roughly. "Nah, just English. You know how this subject gets me," she said, letting out a small laugh.

Konoka giggled. "Alright Asuna-san, if you say so," she replied.

Asuna turned back to her homework while Negi and Konoka continued talking. She worked on her English, hoping to have it distract her from the noise in the dorm room. After a while though, they were grating on her nerves and she couldn't focus on her homework. She was still on the first problem and it wasn't getting easier. She stood up so quickly that her chair scooted backwards a little. "I'm going out," she announced.

Grabbing a coat she ran out the door, leaving them to their conversation and to clear her head a little. It was still a little weird that he was living in their dorm. Maybe he was right, and she would get used to it after a while. But what if she never got used to it?

She hadn't gotten far before she felt herself run into someone and start to fall backwards. She shut her eyes tight and prepared to hit the hard sidewalk underneath her, but it never happened. A strong arm had slipped under her was and stopped her from falling down. When she opened her eyes, she found Takahata's chocolate gaze staring into hers.

A blush quickly spread across her face as she realized their situation. "Ah…hello…Takahata-sensei," she managed to spit out. She knew it probably sounded terrible, but she just couldn't get a complete sentence out.

"Well hello there Asuna-kun," he said in his usually gruff voice. He helped her back up and stuffed his hands in his pockets after lighting a cigarette. "Sorry for knocking you down."

"Oh no worries at all Takahata-sensei!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in the air frantically. "It was my fault for not watching where I was going!"

He flashed her a crinkly smile and she blushed even more. "Alright Asuna-kun, if you say so," he replied, "I'll just be on my way then."

Without thinking, Asuna's hand shot out and grasped Takahata's larger hand. She was about to pull back after she realized what she'd done, but she forced herself not to. She looked down at the ground and her bangs covered her eyes. "No…I mean…please stay," she begged. Her hands trembled a little as she looked back up at him.

The shocked expression on Takahata's face slowly turned into a smile. "Alright, but only for a few minutes. I have to go and help Shizuna," he bargained.

Asuna felt her heart skip a beat. He had just agreed to stay with her! A huge smile spread across her face and she led him over to a bench close to where they were. He sat down next to her and she stared up at the setting sun. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him look at the sunset too. "Yeah, it always reminds me that no matter how bad things get, there's always a beautiful sunset waiting for you at the end," he replied with a distant expression in his eyes.

Asuna smiled, stealing a glance at him. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed, "Sometimes it's hard to find though."

Takahata turned to her with a raised brow. "Well aren't we pessimistic? What's on your mind?" he asked her, smiling slightly.

She looked down at her lap subconsciously, a habit she had when she was nervous or embarrassed. "Well…I like this man…" she began.

She was interrupted but a spout of laughter. "This doesn't sound like the Asuna-kun I know. I don't think you've ever come to me about a boy problem…" he chuckled.

Asuna frowned. "I'm serious!" she protested. When he stopped laughing, he gave her his full attention. "I really like him but…I'm pretty sure he's not interested…"

"Already have a crush on Negi-kun do we?" he asked, cocking a knowing smile.

The blood rushed her cheeks, giving her face a faint red glow. "No way! That rude little twit?" she shouted in defense, punching her fist into the bench to emphasize her point. Thankfully she didn't use enough force to break the bench. She didn't need another expense to pay for. Tuition was hard enough.

Takahata just chuckled again. "Alright, calm down, I was only joking. I'm guessing you want to know what to do, am I right?" he asked her, looking at her through his smaller glasses.

She nodded shyly, twirling a lock of her long orange hair between her fingers. Something that she didn't do too often, unless she was with Takahata of course.

"Well, I would say that you give him a little space. If you suspicion is true, then as hard as it sounds, I would let him go. You need to find someone that loves you not 50, not 90, not 100, but 110. Chances are, the man who you're destined to be with could be right under your nose, but if you're too focused on someone else, then you might miss the opportunity to be with them," he advised. He reached out his hand and patted her orange hair softly, making the bells in her hair jingle a little.

Asuna looked down at the bench. Maybe Takahata was right, and she should just let him go. Let Shizuna have him. She knew that they were constantly flirting, and that they sometimes had lunch, but she didn't want to believe it was true. She suddenly shook her head. No! She couldn't give up on him. Unless she knew for certain that he and Shizuna were an item, then she wouldn't give up. She would fight for what she loved! "I'm sorry Takahata-sensei, but I just can't give him up. I love him too much," she declared determinedly.

"Sometimes if you love someone, the best thing you can do for them is let them go," he responded. "If you truly love someone, then you have to put them first. But I think you shouldn't give up unless you know for certain he isn't interested."

Asuna smiled at him with a wide grin. "Yeah! I won't, promise. Thanks Professor Takahata," she said, leaning her back against the bench again with a sigh. The sun was already behind the school, but the magnificent colors were still slightly there, making the sky a dusky blue.

"It's amazing how it gets dark so fast huh?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. Just like how a sunset is beautiful," he agreed, sighing in content.

Feeling a rush of courage, Asuna smoothly leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt the gentle fabric underneath her ear as she continued to gaze up at the sky. She also felt his shoulders tense up for a second before relaxing again. He made no move to push her off or move her, making a small smile appear on her face.

Without warning, she heard a small noise in the bush behind her, almost like someone sneezing. Right after the sound registered, an enormous gust of wind came from behind the two, blowing Asuna's skirt clear up and giving Takahata a nice view of her underwear.

She shrieked when she realized what had happened and quickly pushed her skirt down to cover her underwear once again. Her face was redder than a tomato and she quickly stood up off of the bench, turning to face the bush.

At first, she didn't see anything except the green leaves, but when she looked a little closer, she saw a few locks of maroon and dark brown hair poking out. And closer sill, she could see a dark brown shoe poking out from underneath the bushes.

Asuna could swear that steam was coming out of her ears. She was fuming mad. That brat had just ruined the best moment of her whole fifteen year old life! She would kill that punk! "You little brat," she whispered angrily, staring at the bush with narrowed eyes.

"Asuna-kun, are you alright?" Takahata asked, jerking her away from the thoughts of killing Negi in his sleep tonight.

She faked an innocent smile, casting a last glare into the bush. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that. Were that a strong wind or what?" she asked jokingly.

Takahata diverted his gaze for a few seconds before replying, "Uh, yeah, sure was."

An awkward silence filled the two. "Asuna-kun," Takahata suddenly said, breaking it, "I have to go help Shizuna now, but I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, he got up and walked away in his usual laid back pace.

"Alright," Asuna whispered sadly to herself, even though she knew he wouldn't hear her.

A slight rustling noise from the bush made her remember her pest control problem. Angry all over again, she stood up with her fists raised. "Maybe I should take my anger out on the bush," she said loudly on purpose.

When she heard a squeak come from the bush, she smiled, knowing that she had successfully scared him. She decided to keep up with the game just a little longer. "Here it goes!" she shouted, pretending that she was going to punch the bush with all of her might.

Just when she was about to punch the living daylights out of the bush, Negi popped up and screamed. "Don't punch me! Don't punch me!" he wailed, flailing his arms in the air. The white ermine from earlier was sitting on his shoulder with a fearful look in its eyes and had let out a squeak that she barely heard.

"Aha! Caught you red-handed!" she exclaimed, a devilish grin spreading across her face. Her eyes narrowed and she raised her fists again. "I don't know how you did it, but I'm going to make you pay for the little stunt you pulled!"

Negi let out another squeak. He opened his mouth, but unfortunately, a voice a little more huskier than his spoke for him. "Bring it on red-head! You're going down!"

Asuna clenched her jaw. The comment had only made her even angrier. "Alright, now you're going to get it you little punk!" she shouted, shooting her fist forward.

He narrowly dodged her striking fist, and put his hands up in defense. "Please Asuna-san! I didn't say that!" he defended, but she had already thrown another punch at him.

"You expect me to believe that lie?" she asked, just barely missing his head once again. "You really are stupid, aren't you?"

He ducked as a kick came his way, flying over his head and nearly hitting his staff. He was almost sure if she hit his staff she would break it and practically take away his ability to protect her. "No, it's not a lie! You don't understand-" he tried to explain, but he was cut off.

"I don't understand?" she repeated, the volume in her voice rising, "Now you're calling me stupid? You are going to be black and blue tonight!" She aimed another kick and hit him square in the chest, knocking him onto the cobblestone pathway near the bench she had previously been sitting on.

He rubbed his chest and winced. He already had a bruise. However, Asuna flew at him again, aiming another punch for his head. "I didn't mean it that way! You're certainly not stupid…just uh…" he wracked his brain for an excuse. He could just tell her about Chamo, but that would mean that the ermine would probably be dead the next morning, judging by her kick.

"Just what?" she asked, slamming her fist down.

Negi laid down to avoid the attack, scooting his feet out a little to lie completely flat. His feet accidentally hit Asuna's feet and when she tripped, she fell directly on top of him. She shoved her hands in front of her though so that she didn't kiss him, but was hovering inches above him.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks when she realized the compromising position they were in. She immediately began to get up and push herself off of him, but her foot slipped on one of the cobblestones and she fell forward again, hitting her head on a different cobblestone.

Before she knew what was happening, her vision got blurry before it faded to a pitch black.

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**A/N: **I'm apologizing in advance if it seemed a little too lovey dovey. I got lots of reviews last chapter about the whole "jealous Nodoka" thing…and I had to agree with most of them, I think it was a little too rushed. So, I'm hoping this didn't seem like a romance scene with Negi…it wasn't supposed to be.

As always, please review! (Constructive Criticism is always welcome.)

Stay Fly,

Micki G


	4. A night on a bench

**A/N:** So Sorry for the late update. Reasons are at the bottom. Oh man…I've just been swamped! I'll try and update faster. I'm really sorry!

Please review!

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Destiny – Chapter 4

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Negi had successfully gotten Asuna onto the bench, where she was quietly laying. Her breathing was even and steady, showing she was alright and just needed to rest. He sat on the ground with his back propped up against the bench, looking up at the twinkling stars.

"Thanks a lot Chamo-kun," Negi muttered sarcastically to his snow white friend.

"Come on Negi, you have to admit that you were thinking the same thing!" the ermine protested, standing on his hind legs with his forepaws crossed over his chest to compliment the scowl on his tiny face.

"That doesn't mean you have to say it out loud," Negi argued, glaring at him. "Now how am I going to get her home?"

"Carry her," Chamo suggested with a shrug.

"I can't carry her! What if she wakes up? She'll kill me and call me a pervert!" he exclaimed quietly.

Chamo rubbed his chin, looking deep in thought. "Then I guess we'll just have to stay here until she wakes up," he advised, shrugging again.

Negi heaved a sigh and leaned his head onto the seat of the bench. It nudged Asuna's arm, but she didn't stir. Her heavy breathing told him that she was still unconscious or asleep. Without anything to do, he turned to face the sleeping girl. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked while sleeping. Her face was finally serene and not scowling, and the moonlight shone just enough to make her skin glow. Her hair flowed from her head and down the side of the bench like a fiery waterfall. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

Her eyes twitched slightly before they slowly opened to reveal one blue and one green eye. For a few moments, she only sat there, unmoving, and stared at the stars. Negi couldn't help but think her eyes were like the stars themselves, twinkling with beauty.

For once, Chamo had remained quiet and Negi was inwardly thanking him. The mage just gazed at her as if she was a goddess.

"W-where am I?" she whispered to herself gently. He guessed that she didn't know that he was there yet.

"You're lying on the bench were Takamichi and you were sitting a little while ago," he answered helpfully with a small smile on his face.

Her head turned to face him, and she looked down, looking right into his eyes for a few seconds. Negi could feel his cheeks turning pink, but just continued to gaze at her, until a frown marred her beautiful features. '_Uh-oh…looks like that's over,_' he thought.

"What are _you_ doing here, you no good boy?" she asked him angrily, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you fell when we were fighting and hit your head remember?" he asked in his slightly husky voice. He pointed over to a stone with a small red dot on it. "And you head was bleeding a little so I laid you down on the bench after I got you off of me."

"Off of you?" she asked a little too loud. "What was I doing on top of you?"

"You fell when you punched me," he replied, adjusting his glasses in embarrassment as he remembered her body on top of his. He had been so grateful she was unconscious and didn't see the look on his face, or his 'reaction' to it. Although Chamo would never let him forget it.

She was silent for a few seconds as she scrunched her eyebrows together in thought. "Oh yeah, that's right," she said, then her voice was dark and scathing as she glared at him, "When you blew my skirt up in front of Takahata-sensei!"

He gulped. He had to get out of here…fast!

She sat up and then grunted in pain. She closed one of her eyes tight to help relieve it, but by the looks of it, it hadn't helped at all. "God, why does my head hurt so bad?" she growled. She then had a 'oh yeah!' look on her face. "Oh…right…stupid stone!"

Negi had to fight hard not to laugh at what she'd just said. She obviously wasn't that bright when it came to smarts. But man, she could _definitely_ kill someone easily. "Asuna-san," he began a little hesitantly, "I'm guessing you know about…magic, right?"

She had laid back down on the bench to help ease the pain, but was now lying on her side so she could face Negi more comfortably. "Yeah, what of it?" she asked. It wasn't said in a mean way, but not in a gentle way either.

"How?" was the simple question. When she raised an eyebrow, he quickly began to explain. "I mean…you're a normal high school girl. And I'm pretty sure that no one else knows about magic here, give or take the few I was told do know."

She was silent for a long while, closing her eyes in thought. The moonlight was glinting off her bells and she still looked like an angel, but he didn't dare voice the thought. Finally, her eyes opened once again and she looked at him with concern. "A while ago, I was on my paper route when I saw Professor Takahata. I was about to run over and say hi, then he put his hands in his pockets and took a step forward, and suddenly all sorts of mini explosions started popping up everywhere. I got suspicious and started tailing him for a while, I saw him with fellow magicians casting spells and performing martial arts moves that are impossible for an ordinary person to do. Eventually it clicked in my brain that it was magic, and not the cheap tricks magicians use to pull rabbits out of hats…the real thing!" She told the story like a kid, waving her hands in the air with wide eyes.

Negi nodded, he knew what martial arts she meant. Takahata was famous for it in the magical world. He'd learned about it as part of his training at the Magic Academy, but he hadn't actually practiced it. It was an alternative to those who couldn't perform spells by simply saying words. He had to sympathize with the teacher. He could have been turned into an ermine, like Chamo, who was underneath the bench, listening intently. Takamichi was lucky that Asuna was so loyal to him.

"So," she sighed, running a hand though her bangs, "When I talked to Professor Takahata, after a lot of persuading, he told me about magic. Apparently, he said that I had a past with mages, although my memory had been wiped. I only remember about a contract…" She stopped abruptly, her jaw clenching. Her eyes looked glossy, like she was about to cry.

"What contract?" he asked after some time of silence.

"Nothing, just the contract for Mahora Academy," she lied. There was a fake smile on her face, but he decided it was something she didn't want to talk about, so he left it at that.

"Do you know why the people who are after you are pursuing you?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.

She shook her head, rattling her bells as a melodious sound filled the air.

He mentally sighed. It looked like his job was going to be pretty tough if she didn't even know who her attackers were.

"Hey redhead."

Negi froze. He knew that voice well. It was a voice that had cost him two beatings on his first day already. It was a husky voice, probably because of all his smoking. He dared to look at Asuna and saw that she was looking at him with a quizzical look on her face.

"Negi, who was that?" she asked.

"M-me?" he lied, smiling and giving a nervous laugh.

She wasn't fooled. "No, your lips didn't move," she pointed out, and then looked through the cracks of the bench to see Chamo. "And pets don't talk."

"Who says pets can't talk?" the white ermine squeaked.

Negi nearly let out a squeak himself as he tried to calm down and figure out a solution to the talking ermine problem to his right.

Asuna was looking at him with an even more confused expression on her face. "D-did your ferret just…talk?" she asked slowly, a look of disbelief written all over her face.

"I…uh..uh…yes?" he stammered, unsure of what to say.

"So he does?" she asked, disbelief still on her face.

"Yes," he replied confidently, and then his shoulders slumped. "I mean no…"

"Does he or not?" she shouted, scowling at him.

Negi let out a small squeak of terror before vigorously nodding his head. "Yes, yes he does!" he squealed.

She gave a smirk and peered down at him again, a slight twinge of pain in her head. "So, little ferret thing, you _are_ a magical pet after all huh?" she asked with a confident smile.

Chamo smirked, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "You got that right toots," he replied, shaking some of the ashes off of his cigarette. "And I'm an ermine, not a ferret, get it right kid."

Negi saw one of her eyebrows twitch in annoyance. "Kid?" she asked menacingly.

Chamo laughed nervously. "Did I say kid? I meant…uh…teen," he corrected himself quickly.

Asuna grumbled something, but seemed too tired to do anything about it. She flopped back down on her side and looked at Negi. "So, why did you wait for me?" she asked Negi suddenly.

The fifteen year old boy looked at the ground, a small smile on his face. "Well, because you're my client, and well…a bodyguard must be with his client at all times," he answered carefully, placing a finger on his chin.

Asuna smiled, the answer satisfying her. "Alright. How long have we been here?" she asked, trying to find something to talk about.

Negi looked up for a few seconds before answering in a cheerful tone, "4 hours!"

She stared at him with eyes as wide as the full moon overhead. "4 hours?" she repeated, sitting up, and causing a massive headache to sear through her head. She put her hands to her forehead again. "I need to rest up for my paper route tomorrow! I'm only going to get 6 hours of sleep!" she complained, wincing from the pain in her head.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"I can barely sit up without my head throbbing, what does that tell you?" she growled.

Negi was taken aback by the harsh response for a minute, before figuring she was just cranky from the pain. "Well, I could carry you back," he offered.

She scowled at him, a harsh glare in her heterochromatic eyes. "Are you serious? I am _not_ going to let you cop a cheap feel just because my head hurts like hell," she hissed, turning away from him in a pout.

"How else will you get back?" he asked, raising his eye brows as if to say 'hmm?'.

After about five minutes of no one moving, Asuna's shoulders slumped forward, and one of her hands ran through her fiery bangs in frustration. A pout was on her face to accompany the annoyed look that was in her eyes. "I guess you have a point…" she gave in, sighing, "But, if I think you're even trying to touch me, I won't hesitate to mess you up, no matter what state I'm in."

Negi missed the smirk and scheming look in Chamo's eyes as he focused on convincing Asuna he wasn't a pervert.

"I promise that I will be a perfect English gentleman and not try to take advantage of you in any way, shape, or form," he vowed, putting his right hand up to emphasize his point.

"Alright, alright, captain made-your-point, let's go," she commanded, grumbling with impatience.

Negi smirked. This was the perfect chance to get back at her. "Only if you're nice to me the whole way," he bargained, crossing his arms over his chest and his smirk grew a little.

Asuna looked at him with a scowl again. "You cannot be serious," she said through clenched teeth.

Negi nodded. "Oh, I am."

Asuna took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to reign in her anger. Finally, she exhaled and smiled at him cheerfully. "Alright then, let's go," she urged in a sickeningly sweet voice.

The smirk stayed on his face. "Sounds good to me," he answered. He walked to where she was sitting and bent over, slipping a hand under her knees and behind her back. A blush rapidly spread across his cheeks as he forced himself to stay calm.

"What are you blushing at?" she growled, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"I thought you were supposed to be nice to me," he retorted, making her sigh angrily before turning her head the other way. Negi mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted her up a little challenged at first, but as he got a better grip on her, it was easy. Her hair was hanging down and brushing against his arm. He silently noted how soft it was before he looked at the bleach white ermine. "Come on Chamo-kun, let's go," he ordered the ermine politely.

Asuna was still facing away from him, but he could see the blush on her face, making his own cheeks heat up. They had been walking in silence for a while, both to embarrassed from the situation they were in to really say anything.

"Hey Negi," Chamo piped up.

Negi had a feeling that Chamo was going to either embarrass him or say something to embarrass both of them. "Yes Chamo-kun?"

"While I was watching you two fight, I noticed that redhead here had a nice dropkick," he noted, lighting a new cigarette. He took a puff and exhaled, sending the smoke the other way.

Negi remembered her kicking him hard in the chest. It was still sore, but he had to be a man, and not show it. He closed his eyes for a second, grimacing at the pain before returning to his usual self. "Yeah, I know," Negi replied with another grimace.

"So," Chamo continued, ignoring Negi's comment, "I was thinking you and her should make a probationary contract."

Negi felt his grip slip in shock and almost dropped Asuna in surprise. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide as he just stared at Chamo. "W-with A-Asuna-san?" he stuttered, glancing at her and quickly turning a scarlet red color.

"Hey! Watch it Negi-bozu! You almost dropped me!" Asuna snapped, glaring at him, until Negi shot her a warning glance and reminded her of their deal. Instead of glaring, she decided to talk about something else, "What's a probationary contract?"

"Uh…I…well…um…you see it….it's…um…" Negi stammered, his face flushing even more if that was possible. He couldn't explain that to her. Especially if Chamo was suggesting he make a probationary contract with her. That was out of the question. No way. There was no way he would…but she was pretty….No! He would never do that to her. Not to her…a selfish brute.

Unfortunately, Chamo decided to tell her instead of Negi, making sure Negi was going straight to heaven tonight. "It's a contract where a mage and either another mage or an ordinary human make a contract where the mage's partner is able to gain…a kind of magical power, if you will," he explained.

"But why did you just all the sudden think of this?" she asked in a skeptical tone.

"You see, if you and Negi were partners, Negi would be able to communicate with you using telepathy, and he could summon you, so that if you were in danger, he could easily get you out of it. Not only that, but the powers you get through the contract would enable you to protect yourself a lot easier," he clarified.

Asuna nodded slowly. It seemed like a good idea the way he put it. "Alright, it sounds good to me," she agreed with a smile.

Negi shook his head vigorously. "No way!" he exclaimed.

Asuna raised a fist like she was about to clock him before she slowly lowered it again. He guessed that she had remembered their deal once again. Man, was that the best idea he'd had all day or what?

"Why not Negi?" she asked.

"Chamo-kun, you didn't explain how to make the contract," he hissed at his pet.

Asuna turned to him with somewhat curious eyes. "Well, how do you?" she urged him to tell.

"It's easy, all you need to do is give him…a kiss on the lips," he said hastily. Unluckily for him, Asuna heard it.

"A what?" she yelled.

"A kiss," he repeated with a shrug.

"I'm with Negi…there is no way! Absolutely not!" she growled.

"But think of how much it'll help!" the little white ermine persuaded.

She shook her head. "No."

"Er…well…I know it's rather forward of me…but I think Chamo-kun's right. It would help me out as a bodyguard a lot," Negi chimed in.

She glared at him. "So you really _are _trying to cop a cheap feel!" she snapped.

"No Asuna-san, I swear! I just think it'll help!" he argued, shaking his head vigorously.

She was silent with a scowl on her face as she glared at the grass on the other side of the pathway.

That's what it was like almost the whole way home.

When they finally reached the dorm, Negi knocked on the door carefully, trying to balance Asuna in his arms.

A click sounded and Konoka opened the door a crack. She peered out at them before a smile lit up her features and she opened it wide. "I knew you two would end up together…I just didn't think it would happen this soon, y'know?" she asked with a giggle.

A blush spread across the pair's faces.

"We are not together," Asuna growled. "I fell and hit my head and got a concussion. So Negi-bozu had to carry me home because I couldn't walk."

Konoka just giggled again. "Whatever you say…" She then stepped aside and let them through.

Negi laid her down on the couch gently and backed up. "I think I'll get ready for bed in the bathroom," he announced, grabbing his pajamas.

It hadn't even been two minutes when he heard a scream. It sounded like Konoka! He quickly pulled up his pajama pants and raced out the door, praying he wouldn't already find someone injured.

-----------

**A/N:** Sorry for the incredibly long update. I know everyone makes excuses…but I just had finals and I have a few big projects coming up. Not to mention I'm studying for my entrance exams for high school which will be real soon. And of course….all the boy and friend troubles that come along with us girls: ) I'll try and update sooner next time. But I can't make any promises…

Stay Fly,

Micki G

P.S. Did I mention how I love reviews?


	5. Kotaro

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry! I know it's been forever since I updated and I've gotten multiple e-mails asking me to continue. I promise you I will continue this fan fiction, but just bare with me. I keep getting writers block. It's awful. Anyways, I'll try and update quickly. Any ideas would be appreiciated. (Just leave them in your review please).

**To my betas:** I'll send the next chapters to you (I lost your e-mails! Sorry!), but since everyone has been waiting so long, I think it's best I get this one out as soon as I can. And if you get a chance, I'd greatly appreciate your e-mails!

Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Especially those who like this fiction so much that you've been writing me.

Please Review! It makes me write faster ;)

--

Chapter 5 – Doggy Boy

--

Negi ran out, clutching his staff in his hand and mentally going over the incantations he'd learned. This was his first battle and he wanted to impress his client. "What's-"

He stopped in his tracks, speechless, and a blush slowly creeping over his face.

There stood Asuna in only a bra and underwear, already slightly blushing. Konoka was already laughing her head off as her cheeks grew even redder when Negi burst out of the bathroom.

Negi shielded his eyes from Asuna and instead looked at where she'd previously been looking before he came into the picture.

A boy that looked his age stood in the doorway with a perverted smile on his face. He was no normal boy, that much was for sure. He wore leather pants, a leather jacket, and a plain white T-shirt underneath, reminding Negi of the guy from "Grease". But the part that was the most odd about him were the two white dog ears sticking out from beneath his wildly spiky black hair, the longer strands pulled back into a ponytail.

Negi's brows knitted together and the incantations flooded his brain as he growled at the boy, "Who are you?"

The boy looked at Negi and smirked. "The name's Kotaro. And you?"

Negi blinked. He hadn't expected the boy to be friendly. "Uhmm….N-Negi?" he stuttered in confusion.

"I suggest you learn your own name, Negi. It'll help you in the long run," Kotaro laughed a little, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry for barging in…I got my room mixed up with yours I guess," he apologized.

"You should be!" Asuna shrieked.

Negi stole a glance at her. She had her pajama pants on now and was fully clothed to his relief. "Wait," Negi said, as if the words had just sunk in, "_You_ go to Mahora Academy?"

Kataro nodded. "Yeah, I'm a teacher's aid. I'm helping out…Takahata? I think that's the man's name," he answered.

"Professor Takahata?" Asuna asked in amazement.

Negi tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. She seriously needed to find someone her own age.

"Yeah, that's it!" Kaotaro exclaimed. "Good ol' Death Specs." He had a smug look on his face when he glanced over at Negi.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but the look Kotaro gave him really irked him.

"Alright," Kotaro said loudly. "I guess I should be going. See you two ladies in class tomorrow." He turned around to walk out the door but then paused and winked over his shoulder at Asuna. "Catch you later redhead." And with that he was gone as soon as the door clicked.

Outside the door, he whispered into his watch, "Kotaro to boss. The operative has made contact with the subject. The plan is in motion."

"Asuna!" Konoka squealed inside the room where a very red Asuna and a confused Negi were. "How did you do that? I want someone cute to notice me like that!"

Asuna just stood there, her eyes frozen to the door.

"Earth to Asuna!" Konoka shouted, waving a hand in front of her face. "You there?"

Asuna shook her head and smiled at her roommate. "Yeah, I'm fine. And he's not even close to as cute as Takahata!" she exclaimed, sighing dramatically.

This time Negi couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. He let out a yawn and headed back to the bathroom. "I'm going to finish getting ready for bed," he announced. '_I'm not sure I want to hear about Takahata's 'dreamy eyes' right now,_' he thought.

He gargled some mouthwash and spit it into the sink after he'd brushed his teeth and washed his face. Looking in the mirror, he frowned. Every time he saw his reflection, all he could think about was his dad, Nagi Springfield.

Although his father was top of his class, legendary, and well known for his kindness and magic skills, most of his memories of his father were sad. The one he remembered the most was when his father had given him his staff before leaving him behind in the snow. Tears threatened to spill, so he turned away from his reflection and quickly exited the bathroom.

When he was in the dormitory, he noticed blankets on the couch. With a sigh, he realized that this is where he was probably supposed to sleep. He sat on the couch and frowned when he realized it was lumpy. '_Just my luck,_' he thought sourly as he laid down and felt a lump hit his spine.

'_What'll I do while Asuna is at school?_' he thought. The idea of just sitting there seemed really boring and almost made him fall asleep just thinking about it. '_Wait, what'd that Kotaro kid say? Teacher's aid? Maybe I can aid the teachers whenever Asuna's in their class,_' he thought. A smile spread across his face. What a good idea! It wasn't too much longer that he fell asleep.

--

Something moved beside him and made him stir. He decided that he wouldn't open his eyes and would just try to go back to sleep. It was probably nothing anyways. That's when he noticed something soft on resting on his arm. It was long and fell limply across him.

That's when he heard a sound that made his eyes snap open. It was the sound of heavy breathing. At first, all he could see was someone beside him. Once his eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, he could see orange hair sprawled out over his arm.

'_Oh no!_' was the only thing he could think as he looked at Asuna sleeping soundly beside him. A smile was on her face, but her eyes were still closed. '_How did I even get up here?_' he panicked, looking over the edge of the bunk bed to see the room below. '_Right now, all that matters is getting out of here before she wakes up!_'

Silently, he held his breath as he squirmed as fat away from her as he could. As soon as he was about to get up and make his way to the ladder, two hands grabbed him and pulled him close.

Negi sat there, starting to breathe heavily as he felt Asuna's warm breath on his neck and her breasts pressed up against his back. He began to freak out even more, wondering how he'd escape her grasp.

"Takahata," she whispered into his ear.

For once, he was glad to hear Professor Takahata's name. That mean that she wasn't awake. At least, not yet.

'_Think Negi, think!_' he pestered himself, racking his brain for a route of escape.

He hadn't even noticed the night was slowly beginning to fade. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only 5:30. He still had time before any normal girl would get up in the morning.

Suddenly, a loud ringing filled his ears and his eyes grew wide. The alarm clock had started going off.

Negi felt Asuna's grip loosen. She groaned in his ear before backing a ways away and yawning.

He closed his eyes for what was about to come next.

"Oh, good morning Negi," she said drowsily.

He turned to face her. "Uhh…g-good m-morning A-A-Asuna-san," he stuttered.

Then Asuna's eyes grew wide as she looked at him. "NEGI?!" she screamed. "What the hell are you doing in my bed?" She shoved him over the edge of the bunk bed.

Negi landed with a loud _thump_ on the ground. He'd landed on his head and sat up as the room spun all around him. But Asuna wasn't even close to being finished.

She was climbing down the ladder with a really angry look in her eyes. "Negi, I'm only going to ask one more time," she threatened. "What the _hell_ were you doing in my bed?"

Negi looked up at her, carefully going over his words in his head. "I don't know. One minute, I'm asleep on the couch, and the other, I wake up with you grabbing me in your bed!" he exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders.

Asuna's face looked like a tomato. "It's not like I _wanted_ to grab you! You shouldn't have even been there in the first place!" she screamed.

Konoka yawned and looked at the two of them. "What are you guys doing up so early?" she asked sleepily.

"The little bozu tried to climb into bed with me!" she yelled, glaring at him.

Konoka's eyes widened before a big grin spread across her face. "Way to go Negi!" she exclaimed.

Asuna mumbled a curse word and whacked Negi on the head. "I'm going to go get a shower," she growled.

Negi looked at Konoka, as if asking what he should do.

She just winked at him. "She'll come around Negi-kun," she laughed. "Don't worry."

--

Negi sighed as he rode on the back of Asuna's paper route bike. She flung papers at all the houses as she rode by. She hadn't missed one yet. He felt so weird and awkward on the back of her bicycle, clinging to her, as she rode along the route effortlessly.

"Asuna-san," he whispered.

"Shut up you pervert!" she yelled. "The only reason you're even riding with me is because you might have to protect me if something tries to hurt me again."

Negi sighed. "But Asuna-san-"

"I said shut up," she yelled.

He shut his mouth and sighed. He really wanted to apologize for what had happened (even if it had been an accident), but she wasn't giving him the chance.

Suddenly he felt like something was wrong, and not because of the situation from last night. "Asuna-san," he whispered in a serious tone.

"Negi-bozu, I thought I told you to-"

"Stop your bike," he ordered her. There was definitely something wrong right here. He could feel someone watching them, and he had a pretty good clue that it was Asuna's attackers.

"Are you crazy? I have over 21 houses left!" she argued.

"Stop your bike right now!" he exclaimed. He clutched his staff that was neatly wrapped and slung around his shoulder.

Asuna's brows knitted together. "I said no! Why in the world would I-"

"Watch out!" Negi shouted. He grabbed Asuna and toppled off to the side, making them both fall off the bike along with the bag full of newspapers.

The bike however kept rolling, and just as Asuna was about to scold him for making her fall and scrape her knee, when the bike exploded.

The spell had been magnificently placed. And Negi thanked his lucky stars that he'd pulled her off in time. The white circle drawn in dark colored chalk made him glare all around them. The attacker was trying to get rid of her with traps, not with hand to hand combat.

Her eyes watched in horror as the bike she had spent so much time collecting money to buy sat burning in front of her eyes.

"That could've been us," Negi whispered, helping her to her feet.

Asuna sat there, speechless. "I…what the?" She looked at him in amazement. "How did you know?" she asked quietly.

"I thought something wasn't right," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "We're just lucky I pulled both of us off the bike before that happened." He looked over at the bike which had already been missing a ton of pieces before it had been flaming.

Asuna brushed off her skirt as she stood up. "Thanks," she said.

"It's my job," he reminded her. "You just have to trust me."

She nodded before walking over to where the bag of papers had spilt all over the ground. "Well, help me pick these up squirt. It's gonna be a long walk when we deliver all of these on foot."

"You can't be serious," he groaned.

"Well, I need the money, and you need to guard me, so hurry up!" she commanded.

Negi sighed, bending down and picking up some of the newspapers. '_This is going to be a long day,_' he mentally decided.

As they both began walking down the route, neither noticed a boy hiding in the bushes. He angrily pushed the 'walkie talkie' button on his watch. "Kotaro to boss. The operative was close, but failed to eliminate the subject," he whispered into his watch.

There was a static sound before a voice rang, loud and clear, "Then you better get them next time. Magic may not be your specialty, but I suggest you eliminate the guard before the subject."

Kotaro smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be my pleasure. Over and out." He got up and straightened his leather jacket as he walked towards the school.

--

So, what do you think? I thought it turned out pretty good!

Please leave a review, and, if you have one, an idea would be gladly appreciated!

I'm still having a bit of a writer's block, so we'll see how fast the next chapter gets put up…


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